


Now Ain't That a Shot to the Head?

by Mql1



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4, Fallout: New Vegas, fnv
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, FNV but with horses, Implied Sexual Content, Non-Canon Relationship, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on Tumblr, Other, POV Alternating, Sexual Tension, Sleipnir credit to Duddyruck on Tumblr, Slippies, Violence, fnv - Freeform, sleipnir - Freeform, slippers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:08:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29478954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mql1/pseuds/Mql1
Summary: This story follows from the POV of Benny, Courier 6 (Zona), and other companions.This is a story of how one strange courier changes the original narrative and finds her own way through things. The biggest thing that sets her apart is the fact that the bullet to the brain and the inexperienced doctoring done to her left her with a hard case of amnesia along with other nerve and neurological issues. Because of this, she is a little off, and instead of killing the man that did this to her she chooses to make him pay her back by working alongside her to make a better New Vegas. One even better than Benny planned before.This will also at times follow character studies on the relationships this courier has with her friends, animals, robots, and sometimes how she handled certain missions.Adding in Sleipnirs (Horses) created by the awesome DuddyRuck on Tumblr/Twitter/Instagram
Relationships: n/a
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

Benny couldn’t believe how he got here, well no that wasn’t quite right. He could believe it, and he knew why, he was more upset at the fact that he was in this situation, to begin with. If there weren’t one glaring fact, he would normally be thrilled to be in this position. Some hot, curvy Hispanic thing straddling him as he was cuffed to the bed, her dark brown eyes half-lidded as she sat on top of him. Both of them nearly fully undressed. It’d be the start of what should be a great night!

The issue of course came when you remember that this hot little thing on him was also the same unlucky sap he shot in the head some months ago and left in an open grave in some random one bighorner town. He knew it was trouble. The short spitfire came straight for him, ignoring his guards as he made his rounds about his casino. Her eyes were on fire and yet her smile was something soft, her voice was flirty, and the way she put her one robotic arm on her jutted out hip- well- there was only so much one man could see before he caved in.

“Hey, now doll-” He gave a shaky laugh, feeling the cool metal of the switchblade she hid between her breasts until now against his throat. “I know I said I was willing to get kinky but this is-”

“Oh Benny, do shut up.” Her voice was something else, even now it was light and friendly as she leaned down close to him. “You know this isn’t for fun, so don’t play coy.”

“Listen- honey- if this is because of the whole shooting you think you have to know that was just business! I didn’t  _ want  _ to shoot you in the dome.” His eyes darted to the clear starburst shaped scar just above her left brow, sure there were other scars- like the deep run claw and bite marks that started on her right cheek and went down her neck, her chest, and shoulder, all the way to where the attachment for her robotic arm hooked up. But he wasn’t the reason for those, she had those likely long before they met, and judging by how deep and old they are she was likely some lucky kid that made it through some sort of deathclaw mauling. Then again, how lucky could she be if she got shot by him years later?

“Oh we are long past that, don’t get me wrong you’ll work that off with time, but I right now need answers.” As she spoke the gears in her right arm clicked as the fingers tightened around the blade’s handle. 

“O-okay- answers- you know- you didn’t have to get me like this to-”

“We both know you’re a slimy little eel that would have ran away before I got what I needed. You’re a coward Benny, that’s why you hired extra help because you couldn’t guard yourself out in the wastes.”

“Hey-” He wanted to say more, defend himself, but it was hard to think when his body was still unreasonably aroused by this whole situation as she shifted about to get herself comfortable so to loom over him. “I- fine!”

She smiled, a faint quirk of her lips as she seemed to ease up a little. “Good, because I really don’t want to kill you.”

And so it went, with Benny cuffed to the bed while the once assumed dead courier went from sitting beside him to pacing his room. They talked, he gave in after more veiled threats came his way to explain why he went about trying to kill her for some poker chip. He let loose that he wanted to change how the strip is running, how he wanted autonomy for the strip so it wasn’t under the thumbs of some government or psychopath like Caesar. And to his surprise the crazy gal didn’t seem that upset with him the more they talked, it became less of him being cuffed up trying to find a way to live and more of her pondering his plans.

“So that’s really it?” She asked finally as she came back to sit beside him, the two still in equal states of undress. “It seems so...noble?” She gave a small snort, shaking her head at the thought.

“Hey, I’m plenty noble when I need to be.” Even when he said it he couldn’t help the faint snicker lingering in his words, trying to force down a smile. Something about this lady still had him charmed. 

“Well, what if I said I want to help you.” Her words struck him dumb, blinking owlishly at her as he tried to think of the right things to say. “But there’s a catch.”

“Should I have expected anything less?” He quipped as he nodded towards his arms still cuffed above him.

“Fair point- but what I mean is- for the most part, I like your idea, a lot in fact. But there are some issues I take with it- like the NCR. Don’t get me wrong they aren’t great, but they’ve done good in places. Do I think we need a government again based on the very one that gave up this lovely nuclear wasteland? - No. But I think it’s also a case by case basis you know? A place like the strip needs its own ways, it grew without them and became its own living breathing thing without their laws, so it should stay that way. But trying to get rid of a whole army- I mean that’s crazy.”

“But with the chip Yes Man says I can make-”

“Oh shut up with that! Yes, having an extra-strong army of securitrons can help, but you have to keep in mind that they are robots! The whole war before had them too and people found ways to get the advantage against them. Energy weapons, pulse grenades, all of that evens the playing field. And that’s not even taking into account that the NCR here is just a small fraction of the rest of their army!” She waved her hands about some before pushing them both through her short curly hair.

Benny stayed quiet for a moment, thinking over what she said before he gave a small defeated sigh. “You’re thinking long term, a bigger picture.” He was a bit upset with himself, the more he thought about her words the more he realized that his plan was good but flawed. If he took down a whole part of the NCR they would come back at some point. He knows what they did to those Great Khans or any number of tribes out there that crossed their path in a less than friendly way.

“Yeah…” She gave a soft smile, then she reached out. Causing Benny to jump at the cold touch of her metal arm as she pushed some of his own hair out of his face. “That doesn’t mean your plan isn’t good. Just that it needs some fine-tuning. It’s better to have more allies than enemies.”

“I guess. But then what does that make us?”

A silence hung over the room as the two seemed to size one another up. Then after some time she sighed, moved to the nightstand where the key for the cuffs lies and unlocked them. Slowly, with some caution Benny sat up, rubbing at his wrists as the two of them watch each other. It seemed like they were both weighing their options to fight one another until the courier held out her hand. Only to pause and switch her right hand for a more warm, fleshy hand that was her left.

“How about partners?”

“Us, work together? Even after I shot you?”

“Like I said before, we’ll work out how you will pay me back for that later. For now, how about we start fresh?” She asked, giving her hand a small shake to show that it was waiting. “My name is Arizona Jay Hooker, but most people call me Zona. Pleased to meet you.”

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And that’s how it started or started again really. The odd courier with a charming personality and quick wit stunning a normally crooked businessman into a partnership to try and bring the New Vegas strip into a new era of self-governing that would be added by some unlikely allies. It was strange at first, giving Zona the keys to the suite so she and her rag-tag gaggle of friends could set up shop. Even odder when some of them seemed to warm up to him right away or act cold towards him. Zona would tell him that some of them can’t yet forgive him for shooting her, to which he would ask why they care so much if they didn’t know her from before being shot? Zona would shrug, say something about the morality of it all and go on her way.

The jarring of all was really learning about this zombie of a mailman. Zona was...a lot. She was one whole string of personalities and tied up in a neat bow of serious brain trauma-induced amnesia. She was smart, great with robots and robotics, it seemed anything with a metal heart and coded mind was glued to her. ED-E was always by her side, apparently recording everything at all times for her. Yes Man seemed to instantly like her, even being so bold as to say he liked her more than him because she didn’t call him rude names or threaten to scrap him for parts.

Then there was that charm about her, she seemed to kind, the type of kindness that should get people to use her constantly, and yet it was all just a front. At least that’s what Benny started to notice. She’d put on that great smile, joyful laughs, and use it to wrap people around her fingers. Even when she threatened people it seemed to be dipped in honey and served to them with batted lashes. 

The biggest thing he noticed however was the random lapse that she seemed to fall into. Like how one moment she’d be talking, on a roll, and then just stop. Like her brain did a hard reset in the middle of her speaking to the point that she’d zone out for a moment. Once shaken from the trance she’d seem confused, and for a moment it was like she truly had no clue who she was, where she was, or what was happening around her. It was times like this that the weird doctor friend would step in, talking in a low soft voice and sometimes even stepping in to talk for her. But that was only if he was around, if he wasn’t then that eye bot ED-E would swoop in close, making a string of beeps that Zona seemed to understand. But if that didn’t help then the eye bot would replay the last minute or so of what it recorded for her. And just like that she would snapback, her confused and scared expression instantly washing away to a wide happy smile as she made a joke about her own forgetful mind then went back to whatever was happening before.

It was those times that Benny felt guilty, a pang of guilt he hated. Even more so when he felt the cold glares from Boone and Veronica. As if he didn’t realize that what he did was wrong. Even then he could argue that it was for the greater good! Not that that would sit well with those two. Even Arcade seemed more forgiving towards him simply because Zona was friendly towards him, though it seemed more like some form of professional courtesy than truly tolerating him. The only few of Zona’s friends that seemed to like or tolerate him was the terrifying nightkin that kept calling Zona’s her grandson, Cass who seemed to like anyone willing to give her a drink, and then Raul the mechanic ghoul. And that last one was more indifferent than anything. 

All in all, Benny felt out of place yet still was right by Zona’s side going on the past few weeks now as everyone went over the plan and added in their two sense. This is what brought him to the now, being him sitting in the conference room of the suite with all of Zona’s companions together. With he himself zoning in and out of the talks as Arcade and Boone growled at one another about why the NCR should or shouldn’t be pushed out of the New Vegas walls altogether.

“Benny, what about you?” Zona asked, causing Benny to jump slightly as he was brought back to reality. Everyone was looking at him waiting for his answers.

“Er- well- you see-...”

“See! He wants them gone too- they have done nothing but cause issues with the existing residents of New Vegas-”

“He didn’t even say anything you ass-” Boone growled back at Arcade, his sunglasses doing nothing to hide the fact that he was glaring daggers right back at the good doctor.

“Hush!” Zona snapped at the two. “Let other people talk dammit.” She crossed her arms as she stood at the head of the table. Looking over everyone like a mother who got done scolding her kids, only to have her eyes land and soften on Benny- the outcast child that sat a good two seats apart from everyone else. “Now, you were trying to say?”

Benny took a breath before speaking, gathering together what has been asked by the context clues of the fight. “Okay, so I don’t like the NCR as much as the next guy, they’re too goodie goodie and want to put taxes and limits on everything that makes the strip what it is. However, they are the only ones that know how to fix and keep the monorail running, which could be really useful.”

Zona nodded thoughtfully to that. “True, and with time maybe we can expand the monorail so that it can service more areas than just the airforce base and the strip. Plus it’s only right to let them keep some foothold in New Vegas seeing as their maintaining of the dam is what gives everyone power out this way.”

“I’m sure we can find other people to do the upkeep on the damn other than them if we had to,” Arcade said with a raised brow, he clearly didn’t know what he was saying.

“I mean...if we had to we could but realistically that could lead to more issues. I’m good with tech and all that but a dam is a whole lot different than hacking computers and toying around with bots. Plus I wouldn’t know the first place to start to try and find or make replacement parts if anything broke. And I have to assume they already have those resources mapped out.”

Arcade seemed to lose his fight as Zona went on, huffing and leaning back in his chair, looking away from the smug-looking Boone that sat across from him.

“So they stay then,” Boone said with a very happy tone for his normally monotone speech. 

“For now, I don’t see any reason to force them out, just maybe negotiate their holding. Hell maybe even make them be more willing to aid the people of Freeside more.” Zona looked to Arcade with a faint smile. “Wouldn’t that be better- having more people helping them?” Arcade simmered on this before he seemed to concede with dropped shoulders and a faint nod.

“Okay!” Zona clapped her hands together as she smiled at everyone. “That at least gets that squared away. Everyone go back to whatever you were doing, if we run into any other hitches I’ll give you a ring.”

With that everyone started to leave, Benny waited around till the room started to thin before he stood up and straightened his suit. He almost made it out the door before Zona caught him by the arm, linking their arms together so that she could steer him over to the lift so they could leave together.

“Hey-!” Benny tugged at his arm to try and get it back, sadly her robotic arm was a trap that very free could free themselves from once trapped.

“You’re going to join me as we check out the families on the strip.” She said cheerily. “Our first stop is The White Gloves.”

“Oh no- no no no-” Benny could feel the shiver and the sick feeling puddle in his stomach just at the thought of going near them. “I am  _ not _ stepping foot in there- that lot they’re loonie toons honey- I will not-”

“Oh dear,” She chuckled sweetly as she side-eyed him, her eyes going extremely cold that Benny felt he was flash frozen. “That wasn’t a request. You  _ will _ come with me, as step one of many to make up for this whole-brain scramble you gave me.”

Her words were sweet, her smile was inviting, yet her eyes told him everything he needed to know. He was fucked. So very fucked. And yet someone- just as confusingly attracted to this nut case as when she held a blade to his throat. Hell, he could almost swear he could still feel it when he tried to gulp down his fears. The feeling of the cool metal stopping his Adam's apple from bobbing. He was trapped, and the sound of the old lift doors closing him in told him just that. 

Benny was stuck with this gal he shot, and you know what the saddest thing was? He wasn’t nearly as upset as he should be about it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Benny and Zona go into the Ultra-Lux. Benny gets stuck in the one place of the strip he hates as much as he hates the world outside New Vegas while Zona gets roped into one overbearing father's missing sons' case. Things don't go according to the script. We see that Zona wears more than one mask. Benny learns that feelings beyond that of selfish capitalist gain are hard. The two have a fight.

The moment they stepped foot into the fancy acting club Benny felt sick. He couldn’t help it, the place was too clean, the people who worked there to doll-like, and the fact that he remembers who they were before becoming a family of the strip. It all just didn’t sit right with him. Yet no matter how he dragged his feet Zona went on, her robotic arm a bear trap keeping him chained to her side like he was some pet to show off. An accessory. It wasn’t long before he could hear, if not feel, the whispers of the masked employees passed to one another commenting on Benny’s surprise and a rare appearance in their establishment.

“My my,” Zona spoke lightly with her faint smile in place. “Seems you well know around here.”

“I’m well known all across the strip doll face, I’m one of the heads of the families, everyone knows me and my right hand man...just like I know them.” He muttered the last part as he looked around, searching for the unnerving second named something weird...Morbid? No that was too on the nose even for them. “Why do you even need me here?”

“To give me a foot in the door of course.” She spoke with a lilted laugh, as though he was the crazy one for even having to ask for something that should be oh so clear.

He didn’t like it, but he could at least ignore it as Zona got them to the bar and ordered them drinks. It’d help with the edge he felt of being here, and as a bonus, Zona gladly did all the talking to the masked bartender for the two of them. Allowing Benny to keep an eye out for the weirdos that somehow enjoyed this place. They had to be some kind of deviants, after all, who enjoys getting looked at by the soulless black eyes on every masked wearing worker. As he seemed to zone out Zona got into a conversation with some upset western cowboy sounding man, a talk that Benny didn’t listen to save for some random bits and pieces. Something about a missing son? Runaway bride- investigators? Sounded like some old radio drama, which it could well be seeing as he wasn’t really paying them mind.

“Ah, Mr. Gecko, how lovely for you to grace us with your appearance in our humble establishment.” And there it was, the voice of that creep he was hoping to avoid.

“Hey there….Mortician?” Benny sounded vaguely confident when he turned away from the bar to face the black-suited man who looked like a mix between death and a band director with a top hat.

The even flat toned, mono-emotional man quirked his brow in what one could assume was disgust. “Mortimer.” He corrected in his drolling tone. Clearly looking down on Benny as if they weren’t on equal standing within the strip. 

“Right, right…” Benny nodded as his eyes darted around for Zona, seeing that she had moved away from the bar to a less crowded area for her and the cowboy looking old man to talk in some peace. Leaving Benny alone...damn.

“I hear you brought a lady friend with you? Are you actually trying to treat one of your many mistresses to fine food or did my employees tell me wrong?”

It was odd but the comment hit a nerve with Benny, not because he was known to be a dog that got any woman he wanted, but the implication that Zona was one of the said women. Funnily enough, they didn’t even sleep together, despite the gossip Cass once asked him about being true or not from Zona’s other friends. It made him grit his teeth for a second to keep from saying something stupid. After all, Zona wanted him to be the foot in the door right?

“Something like that I guess. She’s just off- powdering her nose or something.” He shrugged, trying to turn back to his drink so that he could ignore the man.

“Hm.” Mortimer hummed in a way that felt somehow condescending? If hums could even have such emotions attached to them, then he sure did. “Well I am afraid I can’t just let you skip the line so to speak, but I can see what Marjorie could do for you.”

“How kind.” He rolled his eyes into his glass as he took a long drink of it.

“However since dinner isn’t for quite some time I could offer you a..room for you and your lady friend. I can assure you they are much cleaner then- well.” The foppish prick had the nerve to leave the implication hanging in the air, causing Benny to bristle.

Benny spared a glance again around the room, spotting Zona give the older man a handshake. Some kind of deal that he had missed out on, something he would blame on the ghostly pale man behind him. Just as he was ready to turn and make up some reason to follow Zona she caught his eyes.

_ “Be back, hang tight”  _ She mouthed twice at him, just to make sure he got the message as she went off on her own.

“Fuck…” He growled under his breath before he looked over his shoulder at Mortimer. “Yeah, okay, fine. But just cause my friend has something to do and I don’t want to wait around here with all you mask-wearing freaks.”

His comment didn’t seem to phase Mortimer who simply gave a tight smile as nodded, saying something about one of the attendants coming in a moment to lead him to his room while he himself needed to get back to work. So there Benny was, left to brood with his almost finished drink while he waited for some room key to escape this mask-wearing hellscape.

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Zona wasn’t normally one to sneak off on her own without another friend along with her, even ED-E her shadow as told before entering the Ultra-Lux to wait outside for the two of them to return. But leaving Benny alone was another step she didn’t intend to take, at least not at first. Yes Man filled her in on what he knew from Benny about these odd people. But something was missing to all of it, a factor he didn’t tell Yes Man as to why he seemed so jumpy and disgusted by this family compared to the Omertas, which at face value seemed like some grade-A scum. 

Just as the two of them settled at the bar her attention was caught by an older man, angry, gruff, and looking for a fight to solve his issues. It was a bleeding heart case that she couldn’t ignore as soon as she heard the man demand to know where his son was. Which is what led her on a bit of a goose chase. From talking to the ghostly hotel manager about a missing bride, investigator, and now son of a brahman rancher, getting strangely vague and concerned replies from the man as he offered her the investigator's room key after a bit too much convincing. After all, what harm was it to look through the stuff a man left behind?

This in turn leads to some odd turns of events. From almost being killed by staff, to hunting down a willing to help worker, to again almost getting killed to now where she was. Dressed in some dead person's clothing, wearing long past elbow gloves, a walking cane, and of course the more and more disturbing puppet-like mask that the staff wore. An outfit that actually helped her blend in more than she could have hoped for. 

What she wasn’t prepared for was the fact that it was all true. The rumors she heard along the way about the White Glove Society once being cannibals. The idea alone had her wanting to run again and vomit. It was horrific. She knew that in bad situations people turn to the unthinkable, but the more she learned the more it seemed that these people were not originally in such a state. Then there was the fact that the first two missing people were likely already….well, it was a sickening thought. To some odd relief, it seemed that this was a mostly forbidden act now, condoned and abandoned save for the few that followed that Mortimer guy in this act. 

“What the fuck do I even do?” She asked aloud to herself as she sat in a storage closet that she ran to hide in after coming to these stunning and revolting revelations. “Can you forgive those who once did such a thing?” She asked to the mask that she tore from her face, looking down at its lifeless pitch-black caverns for answers. “I mean, I can’t let this continue, even if they all once ate people it doesn’t mean they do anymore- and to force someone to eat it again after vowing it off is...wrong?”

The mask gave no answers, just a blank soulless stare back at her. She growled and hit her head against the shelving that she sat against- the sparse cleaning supplies rattling while some cleaner boxes toppled to their sides.

“What would Arcade say?” She asked in the open air, only to frown. “Well no….that’s not fair, everyone would say it's wrong but...what would Arcade say if it was something else...something not human…” Her eyes stung slightly as she stared into the flickering fluorescent bulb of the closet.

“If someone once had a drug addiction, but got clean, we wouldn’t hold it against them.” She started to reason, a faint frown still in place. “Then if someone started slipping them the drugs again in their food we wouldn’t blame the person for getting addicted again since they didn’t know...right?” She spared a quick glance down at the mask before looking back to the light. It held more warmth and kindness than these cursed masks.

“So...was eating people like a drug addiction for them before?” She tilted her head to look at the bulb from a different angle. “I guess I don’t really know but...maybe…”

She paused her thoughts with a fast shake of her head. It didn’t matter at this moment the ethics of it! In fact, sitting around and pondering such a moral dilemma was leaving life at risk! Any second now they would take poor Ted and cook him! The questions she had could wait for another time, one where she could sit down with the Followers of the Apocalypse and see what they saw cannibalism as-well if it was akin to addiction rather than if it was a morally inexcusable act.

So with one last look at the flickering bulb, she donned her mask. Fastening it in place once again before slipping from the closet and seeing just what she could do to stop this whole insane act from happening.

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About an hour before dinner Mortimer checked on him, asking Benny in a more refined way of speaking if he had been stood up by his ‘lady friend’. As well as saying how regardless he was able to get Marjorie to allow him a seat (or two) at the exclusive member's dinner. Assuring him that it would have even better food than what they normally served on the menu, and how he hoped such an exclusive invitation would allow the two families to become closer.

It was cryptic, and if Benny had to guess likely a weird kind of trap. Still, he didn’t decline, just gave a stiff smile and said that he’d be there. Leaving out that he would likely be late if he was even there at all. He’d only go so that Zona could get her ‘in’ that she wanted to use him for. If the nut case would show. He even told the attendant that if his friend was to be seen in the main lobby to tell her where he would be so that she could find him. Yet it had been hours.

So many in fact that Benny gave up hope, maybe she had one of her weird episodes again and left without remembering who was waiting around for her. So he started to leave, the dinner was likely 20 or so minutes in and he was sure that he could escape unnoticed. He even made sure to pause by the doors to the restaurant to make sure he heard everyone in there so the freak wouldn’t stop him. Sure as can be he heard the muffled voice of the blowhard giving the most emotional speech, sure he didn’t get what was said, but he could tell that the man seemed proud of whatever he was saying. 

“Okay, time to go, Benny, don’t want him to somehow sense that you’re hanging around and skipping out.” He muttered to himself, only to take a jerking stop when the commotion from the hall turned from some rousing speech to then shocked screeches. Followed by an all to a familiar voice.

“Oh for fucks sake-” Benny cursed, looking at the door as he tried to figure out what to do. Should he sneak away- or go in? He knows Zona didn’t, and couldn’t pack a gun. And he doubted she had any weapons, to begin with. He of course had his gun, it was an unspoken rule that the heads of the families could stay armed all the time for their own protection.

The growing screaming and added voices made the choice for him. Even if he partly wished to be rid of Zona he couldn’t bring himself to let her get killed by these freaks. So with a curse and a prayer, he burst through the doors.

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It happened fast, from Zona sneaking the talkative ranchers' son out of the kitchen into the dining hall, to waiting for the right moment to jump out from behind the bar where the door led them. If anything it was hard to keep Ted back and silent long enough for them to appear at just the right moment and shatter Mortimer’s reality.

But once the shoe dropped that they were eating human (which they weren’t- just some disturbingly human-like substitute) and the mixed sounds of awe and horror only to get shattered by Zona pulling herself- and a fuming Ted- from behind the bar into center stage.

“W-What!” Mortimer all but screeched the moment Zona called him out with the very meal they were meant to be eating standing right beside her. “No- NO! This can’t be-!”

“Mortimer- please- tell me you didn’t-” Majorie, the possibly innocent, owner pleaded as she looked at her second with such pity. “We had agreed-”

“I did not agree to anything!” He shouted back, turning to look at the mixed reactions of his family. It seemed they started to turn on him, like hyenas laughing they all started to murmur and speak. “Come now! Everyone- you cannot judge me now! For one blissful moment you thought-”

“Thought what!” Zona snapped in a raised tone, her normally commonplace smile melted into a snarl. “You thought you could force a non-consenting party into consuming something they had all denounced years ago!”

“YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD EAT ME! AND YET YOU WANTED TO BUY MEAT FROM MY PA-” Ted screeched like the indignant, spoiled child he was, a sound that hurt everyone's ears. It even made Zona’s eyes twitch.

“Ted shut the fuck up.” Zona hissed at him as she shot him a glare. “The adults will handle-”

“Hey-”

Before Ted could bicker more some of the people sitting started to stand- shouting out their thoughts. At first, it was a few shouting their disgust towards their fellow members' actions, yet with the growing hatred came a disturbing amount of those willing to stand and voice their angry defense for Mortimer. And from there it was an unmitigated snowball of joining angered voices. Something that Mortimer tried to monopolize by sneaking away towards the doors. 

“Brothers! Sisters!” He shouted over the crowd, gaining most of the attention over the still loud fighting. “Join me! Let us leave these pretenders who wish to act as if we had not dined on the world's sweetest of fleshes- let us make anew-”

The doors flew open behind him, causing him to whip around to face the new contender in this yelling match- onto to be face to face with a very shiny, very clean gun held by the very checkered suited man he had been making barbs at all day.

🃁🃁🃁🃁🃁🃁🃁🃁🃁🃁🃁🃁🃁🃁🃁🃁🃁🃁🃁🃁

“Zona!-” Benny burst in with gun drawn, finger ready to let a bullet lose as soon as he could focus on a target. In some odd stroke of luck aiming was not needed as his gun was already aimed right between the eyes of the ghostly freak who seemed to pale even more is possible now that he was staring down the barrel.

In fact, it was such a shock that anybody who had been listening to the rhetoric of this man before fell silent, a few gasps here and there that led the rest of the verbal masses to stop and see what the issue was now.

Yet through it all came one loud- surprised, if not slightly hysterical laugh. A laugh that quickly devolved into snorts that lead to one unmasked, yet still uniformed Zona to topple forward and catch herself from falling by instead squatting down.

“What the fuck?” Benny blinked, looking about at the crowd that looked between him welding his gun, and Zona who was crumpled in what felt like inappropriate laughter.

“G-Good timing!” Zona managed to strangle out as she tried to regain herself, grabbing onto the pant leg of a bewildered Ted to pull herself up, causing the man to stumble slightly as she did. 

“What is happening here? I heard yelling- and you- and…?” He trailed off as he looked at Mortimer who seemed to be breaking out in a cold sweat as he stayed perfectly still under Benny’s unmoving gun.

“They were trying to eat me!” Ted butted in again, pushing himself away from Zona to try and make his way to the doors and hopefully out of this place. “They’re a bunch of people eating monsters!”

“Hm.” Benny’s lips formed a hard line and he nodded to that. He knew there  _ were _ but he didn’t know they still did that. “All of them?”

“No!” Marjorie exclaimed from where she stood by the podium next to Zona, she seemed horrified.

“Well- maybe at one point if what I have gathered is right?” Zona gave a shrug. “I’m not sure how I feel about it all yet.” This caused Benny to open his mouth to say more but Zona went right along like she normally did when on a roll with her thoughts. “But we know for sure the few who have, and wanted to again- seeing as they all just outed themselves here.”

Benny nodded slowly before he drifted his eyes from Mortimer to Zona, a brow raised. “So, what do we do then?”

Zona frowned some, looking from Benny to the leader of this group. Taking a long look at her before she finally asked. “What would you do to Mortimer?”

“Well- I- what he did- or tried to do is unforgivable. But...I can’t just- I’m not a murderer.”

“Arguable,” Benny added with a snide leer that caused the woman to ruffle slightly.

“Fine then.” Zona nodded firmly. “You won’t directly kill him, but you will be the cause of his death if it happens.” Now as she spoke she took a tone that Benny hadn’t heard before, the only way he could think to describe it was that of a leader. “You will cast him out, take away all his belongings save for the clothes on his back, and leave him outside the gates. I am sure I can get a message to Mr. House to let him know what happened here and have him escort this man out and assure he cannot come back again.” She turned from Marjorie to look at Mortimer who had turned to face Zona as she spoke, with a horror greater read than when he was face first towards a gun. “You will get to learn what it is like to be hunted. There are plenty of Fiends close to the city walls, a gang well known for their habit of eating people. You will get to know the fear everyone you have eaten has felt by being prey to someone like you.”

The hall was quiet, the faces of those who stood with Mortimer seemed to turn stark white as they listened to the fate of the man they idolized.

“You- You can’t do that! You don’t have that power! No one has talked to Mr. House in years!” Mortimer sputtered out, yet even as he spoke he seemed to doubt his words. The off chance that he was wrong about his statement was more horrifying than anything.

“That is where you are wrong. But go ahead, don’t believe me. One way or another his guards will find you, and they will do just as I said.” She turned her eyes back to Marjorie, a faint sickeningly sweet smile coming to place upon her lips as she spoke next. “And you will do what I said, or else the same fate could befall you. After all, how could you not know this was happening under your own roof?” The owner said nothing, simply gave a small terrified nod. “Good, also, make a list. We’ll handle it much later.”

The instructions for the list didn’t need to be verbalized, everyone knew what it meant, and the icy cold truth began to sink in. That this person, this intruder into their home has power beyond their understanding, and she was going to use it to put everyone in their place. Obey, or face a fate that they all feared yet didn’t know till it was spoken aloud. The predators become prey, losing the power, becoming the thing they once claimed as divine. It was horrifying.

And with that Zona started to walk away, passing by the stunning masses as she went to the doors. Laying a hand on Benny’s outstretched arm so as to lower it. Even guiding him to turn and link arms with her to lead her out of the Ultra-Lux. It was a quiet walk, one that left Benny’s head spinning as he tried to come to terms with everything that happened. It wasn’t until they were outside with ED-E following again that he snapped from the trance he was in.

Taking a moment to look over the features of the once again smiling face. The same one he shot. This wasn’t some courier, this wasn’t some lady. This was some kind of demon, something powerful hidden under a soft welcoming exterior that was on a mission. And he fucking shot this thing! 

“Hey.” He stopped them, for once being able to bring their walk to a halt just outside The Tops main doors. Zona looked to him, her expression the same neutral happiness that she kept only with a faint tilt of her head and a brow raised. “Did you mean all that…?”

“Of course.” She answered plainly. “I might not get what they did, or why they used to do it, but it should never be allowed.”

“No no, doll, not that. I meant what you said about you and House?”

“Oh….” She trailed off, looking away almost guilty. “I didn’t tell you...just in case. After all, just because I want to trust you doesn’t mean I should.”

“Okay…” It was fair, even if somewhere down deep it hurt.

“Ever since I was dug up he’s had one of his bots on me. Victor. At first, I didn’t catch on to who he was really, but it started to click the more I learned about the package, who stole it, and all that. Well- that and catching him a few times heading to New Vegas and claiming he  _ “Didn’t rightly know why” _ it just sort of..came together. As soon as I made it past those gates it was confirmed. Mr. House had been watching me from the start.”

“The start?” Benny felt his anxiety spike. “You mean- the very start?” Zona nodded. “And you didn’t tell me because-”

“Why do you think Benny!” Zona pulled her arm from his, taking a few steps back. “Think of it as you may but it was my backup plan. If you were- well-” She let out a frustrated growl as a hand went to her hair pulling at it slightly. “I don’t know, okay! Sometimes I don’t even know what I know, but at the very least I needed a backup plan. But just now- back there- you-” Benny stayed quiet, watching the way Zona broke her character to fidget and squirm. She wasn’t the same again, and it was worrying how much he didn’t know this person with who he’s been around and planning to overthrow a government (more or less) for these past weeks. “Just- you seemed like maybe you weren’t going to skip out on me. And once I saw that I knew that- that I should have said this from the start because it changes things.”

“Yeah, it really does.” Benny gritted out, he was annoyed, confused, and almost annoyed and confused about the odd feeling of hurt that seemed to grow the more he watched Zona’s persona fall. “So what, were you going to turn on me- or does House already know all this- what we’re doing.”

“No!” Her head snapped up so she could look up at him. “No I didn’t- listen, I don’t have a good reason really. Not after you just barged into a literal room full of cannibals in a place I knew you already hated just because you assumed I was in danger. But before that moment I wasn’t sure if I could trust you, really me bringing you there and seeing if you would stay with me was a test in itself to see if you had some form of loyalty if not to me then this plan. But the minute thing started getting complicated I stopped thinking about that and was so focused on what was happening at the moment and-”

“You’re rambling.” Benny cut her off with a sigh, shaking his head and he reached to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Just- fine. Whatever. We’ll talk about this later- because honestly, I don’t think I can hear anymore without causing a huge mess that everyone, even House in his high tower could hear.” Zona didn’t say a word, and when he opened his eyes he could see the kicked puppy expression she wore. “Just tell me one thing, can you really get House to do what you just said.”

“I think so.” She spoke softly. “I don’t want to meet him face to face yet, but I think if I tell Victor he will tell House. And I can’t imagine House would want them thereafter Yes Man told me their agreement to stay in charge was to abandon those ways.” Benny nodded slowly, it was fair enough logic. “As for the rest, well- I thought that was something we can save till we are done getting power. You know, really dig around and clean house of whatever is left.”

Benny let out an even, measured breath before nodding. Then he turned and walked to the doors. “Okay. You go do that. I’m going to get some sleep.”

“Benny-”

“Don’t worry, I’ll not run away. You can even ask Yes Man to lock me in seeing as you don’t trust me after all.” It was a petty low blow, he knew it. He knew he would regret those words later. But at the moment he couldn’t care, he couldn’t hit something, couldn’t scream, he couldn’t do anything to get out this conflicting and nearly painful mix of emotions that started to pool inside him like some radioactive run-off. So he left, left the words hanging so he could instead find his bed. His stupid fucking bed. He wanted to burn it. It seemed like, at the moment, it was half the reason he was in this mess. All because he had to let her into his bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's messy, Zona isn't truly happy all the time. Who knows if these two will become a bit more friendly again or if some brotherly like companion will have to step in at some point to set some facts about our dear Zona's mental health and stability straight! That will be seen in the next chapter! (We can hope.)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is just a pet project of mine that I have had on the back burners for a long time exploring and writing out my AU for my courier within the FNV and even the Fallout universe. She's been a dear character of mine ever since I first played my very first Fallout game (New Vegas). I'll add a link below to her character profile and the art I have of her in case anyone is interested seeing as she hasn't been fully visually discribed yet.  
> I do not claim to own any Fallout New Vegas character, just taking some fun artistic liberties in writing them and their personalities. Don't get offended if I don't pair people together or do pair people you don't like coupled together. This is purely for fun.  
> Anyways I hope you all enjoy it. I plan to work on chapters during my downtime at work but I can't promise a constant upload schedule.
> 
> PS. don't get offended by her name, she is actually named after a dear great aunt of mine so her name isn't done as a joke. I just truly adored the name and the person who had it.  
> https://toyhou.se/4558528.arizona-j-hooker


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